Ben Affleck calls AI writing 'shitty' and warns valuations are inflated by job displacement fears

'I can't stand what it writes': Ben Affleck and Matt Damon share their views on using AI to write movies, but admit it could become a new editing tool

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are busy with promoting their new Netflix movie The Rip, and their recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Podcast has everyone talking about AI's place in film production. As well as their discussion about the best streaming services allegedly 'dumbing down' movies to cater to doomscrollers and background viewers, the long-time collaborators had a few things to say about the direction of AI and whether or not it's a valuable means of enhancing human creativity for movie making. Affleck didn't hold back, claiming that generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT will never be able to replicate the nuance of art produced by humans: "If you try to get ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to write you something, it's really sh***y, because by its nature it goes to the mean, to the average", he starts, implying that the standard of writing is no match to a full-fledged story written by a screenwriter. But his rant doesn't end there: "I just can't stand to see what it even writes" he added, doubling down on his views. This is when Matt Damon stepped in. Screenwriting aside, generative AI tools are also used for facial modification when creating certain expressions, or even adding actors to a scene without having to have them on set. Much like Affleck's statements on AI-generated writing, Damon slammed it for similar reasons. Following an anecdote about a scene from Benny Safdie's latest movie The Smashing Machine, Damon recalls being moved by Dwayne Johnson's performance in a particular scene due to his raw display of emotion which he drew from a traumatic experience. "You can have AI understand Dwayne's face and move it in to different (expressions), no f*****g AI can do that", says Damon. From a creative perspective, these views are reasonable - nothing that AI produces can compare to a script that's rich in depth or an acting performance that comes from the heart - but Affleck doesn't rule generative AI out altogether. Though Affleck acknowledged AI's incapacities, sharing "I think it's very unlikely that (AI) is going to be able to write anything meaningful, or that it's going to be making movies from whole cloth", that's not to say he doesn't believe it will be a useful movie making tool. In a similar light to enhancement technology like CGI and other visual effects tools, Affleck believes AI will play a similar role in future movie production: "The guilds are going to manage this where it's like 'if this is a tool that can actually help us'" he starts. From a union and business point of view, he puts it this way: "For example, we don't have to go to the North Pole, we can shoot the scene here in our parkas and whatever but make it appear very realistically as if we're in the North Pole, it'll save us a lot of money and time". It could be that the same applies for the written aspect of movies he says. Not in the sense that AI will be writing full scripts, but it may well become part of generating ideas during the creative process, even if it's simply asking for help when you're struggling to build context, which Affleck also highlighted. As a writer but also a fan of movies, what draws me in the most is the idea that there's a whole army of creatives behind every aspect of a movie, and one of the most valued parts is knowing that a strong script and compelling acting performances are all coming from talented and intelligent humans. AI in movie production was inevitable, but I fear that Affleck is really downplaying the influence it could have in years to come.

'It is shitty': Hollywood star Ben Affleck on AI vs human creativity and valuation of AI companies

Ben Affleck expressed skepticism about current AI writing tools, calling them "shitty" and emphasizing that human artistry is irreplaceable in filmmaking. He argued that fears of AI-driven job displacement are often exaggerated to inflate company valuations, stating that AI adoption is typically slow and incremental. Affleck views AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. Hollywood star Ben Affleck recently opened up about the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity and the entertainment industry during a lively appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, alongside Matt Damon. Affleck didn't hold back, describing current AI writing tools as "shitty" and emphasising that human artistry remains irreplaceable. He highlighted the hype around AI valuations, comparing early adoption fears to the exaggerated promises often used to justify investment in tech companies. On the podcast, Affleck reflected on how AI is being touted as a potential game-changer for film production, from recreating actors' likenesses to writing entire scripts. He likened the technology to electricity, acknowledging its usefulness while warning that it often produces generic, unreliable results. While AI could streamline certain aspects of filmmaking -- like visual effects or expensive location shoots -- he stressed that it cannot replicate the nuance, creativity, and emotional depth of human artists. Affleck also addressed the business side of AI, noting that the fear around job displacement is often exaggerated to support company valuations. He said that the fear around AI is because people feel an existential dread, imagining it could wipe out entire industries. But he claims that history shows adoption is usually slow and incremental. Much of the dramatic rhetoric comes from those trying to justify high company valuations, claiming AI will transform everything in just a couple of years. In reality, he challenged that newer models like ChatGPT-5 are only about 25% better than their predecessors and require significantly more energy and resources. He further pointed out that most users engage with AI casually, often as chat companions, rather than for complex creative tasks. Ultimately, he sees AI as a tool, not a replacement, for the human creativity that drives the film industry. Ben Affleck is an acclaimed actor and filmmaker who has received two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and two BAFTAs over a career spanning more than four decades. Affleck got his start as a kid on the PBS series The Voyage of the Mimi. The real breakthrough came when he and longtime friend Matt Damon co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, earning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Affleck soon became a go-to leading man in Hollywood blockbusters like Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and The Sum of All Fears. A As a director, Affleck has earned praise for gripping films like Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo, the latter winning him BAFTA and Academy Award glory for Best Picture and Best Director accolades. He's also taken on diverse roles, from the psychological thriller Gone Girl to playing Batman in the DC Extended Universe, and sports dramas like The Way Back. His recent projects include The Accountant 2 and The Rip, a star-studded 2026 action thriller from Netflix alongside Matt Damon, Steven Yeun, and Sasha Calle.

Ben Affleck says AI is overhyped, overvalued, and creatively hollow

Calling Ben Affleck anti-AI would be wrong. He's just profoundly unimpressed by it, as per latest evidence. In a recent, refreshingly unfiltered appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (along with good friend and fellow actor Matt Damon), Ben Affleck did something rare - at least as far as tech commentary goes. The Hollywood actor-director stripped AI of its mystical robes and pointed at what's underneath. Mostly, it's a very expensive autocomplete machine, argued Affleck. Ben Affleck's first and most brutal observation is also the one Silicon Valley least wants to hear. That LLMs are fundamentally incapable of writing anything meaningful. Not "useful," not "technically competent," but meaningful in the way movies, stories, and human expression are meant to be. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to write something, Affleck says, and what you get is something "really shitty." That's because these systems regress to the mean. They average out taste, smooth out risk, so that nothing original remains - only generalised offerings. Meh! And if you've ever read an AI-generated screenplay synopsis that feels like it was assembled by a committee of LinkedIn posts, you know exactly what Ben Affleck means. Also read: Anthropic's data shows AI will be a teammate, not replace humans at work Affleck is especially dismissive of the idea that AI will one day "prompt-generate" movies from thin air. The fantasy of typing a carefully crafted prompted and watching cinema emerge is, in his words, bullshit. Not because machines won't improve, but because the core of storytelling isn't pattern replication - it's intention, taste, flair, meaningful but also contradictory to the lived human context. AI can suggest how a delayed letter might work in a scene. It can't decide why that letter matters is Ben Affleck's bone of contention. And this is where Ben Affleck drives his point home, where the real problem seems to be that AI isn't unfolding along the magical curve it was sold on. The exponential rocket ship narrative has quietly turned into something flatter, slower, and much more expensive. Affleck casually called out ChatGPT-5 as an example, arguing newer models are only incrementally better than their predecessors while costing multiples more to run. That's not disruption, but diminishing returns wrapped in PR spin. Ben Affleck's most sobering point about AI is that the hype exists because it has to. AI isn't being framed as "a useful tool" because that doesn't justify trillion-dollar valuations or continent-sized capex spends. So instead, we're told it will replace everything. All jobs. All art. All meaning, just replaced. In reality, Affleck argues, AI will end up where most technologies do - as infrastructure. Like visual effects, for example. A tool that fills in the expensive, boring gaps - but still depends entirely on human judgement to decide what matters. His parting shot in this AI debate is the most unsettling. If the dominant use case for AI turns out to be companionship - chatbots that flatter you, listen endlessly, and never push back - then we should question its social value altogether, argues Ben Affleck. A sycophantic digital friend might feel good at night, but it doesn't build anything. It doesn't challenge you. And it certainly doesn't make better movies. For a man whose career depends on creative risk, Affleck's verdict is loud and clear. While AI can definitely help around the edges, but the soul of all creative endeavour is still stubbornly human.